Tomatillo, Jalapeno, and Garlic Hot Sauce
In this recipe, the tomatillos, onions, Jalapenos, and garlic are lightly charred in a hot pan before being fermented.
I learned this “dry roasting” technique in culinary school when covering some dishes from Mexico, where certain ingredients are charred in a hot pan or over the fire before being used in various dishes.
With the garlic, you add it to the hot pan with the other ingredients while it is still unpeeled, and then remove the outer skin after you take the garlic cloves off the heat.
This sauce goes great with tacos, fajitas, burritos, enchiladas, etc. For a bit more added heat, use Serrano peppers instead of jalapenos.
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Fermentation Time: 1 week, or longer if desired
Yield: About 1 quart
Instructions
17 steps1
Clean a 2-quart mason jar with hot soapy water, and set aside to completely dry.
2
Add the tomatillos, white onion, jalapenos, and whole unpeeled garlic cloves to a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.
3
Lightly char the outsides of the ingredients, and remove them from the heat.
4
Remove the skins from the tomatillos, and cut the flesh into quarters.
5
Peel and quarter the white onion, and peel the garlic cloves.
6
Remove the stems from the jalapenos, and cut the flesh with seeds into large sections.
7
Add the tomatillos, onion, jalapenos, garlic, and cilantro to your fermentation vessel.
8
In a separate container, mix the water with the Kosher salt until the salt has completely dissolved.
9
Pour the liquid brine over your vegetables and cilantro, and press the contents down until they are below the surface of the brine.
10
Cover the submerged contents with a glass or ceramic weight, and close the lid on the jar.
11
Allow the contents to ferment at room temperature for roughly one week, or until you are satisfied with the degree of fermentation and acidity.
12
Make sure to carefully open the jars at least once per day as they ferment, and make sure the contents remain submerged.
13
When you are ready to finalize and bottle your hot sauce, discard 1/3 of the liquid brine.
14
Stir together the white wine vinegar with the white granulated sugar until the sugar has dissolved, and add the sugar and vinegar mixture to your fermented hot sauce mixture with the remaining brine.
15
Blend the contents using an immersion blender or food processor, and taste the contents.
16
Add more salt, sugar, or vinegar, if desired. I tend to keep this sauce blended and unstrained.
17
Transfer the hot sauce into individual bottles, and store the bottles in the fridge to cool down.
